Lake Superior Elementary to Close After 2023-24 School Year

SUPERIOR, Wisc. — The School District of Superior’s Board of Education has voted to close the Lake Superior Elementary School at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

The School Board voted 3-2 to consolidate one of the two rural schools in the Superior School district.

The board had three decision to decide on, including keeping all schools open or closing one of the two rural schools, before eventually deciding to close LSE.

The decision comes at a time when Superintendent Amy Starzecki said a 20-22 district study showed the elementary schools are being underutilized, sitting at only 71 percent capacity.

More than a hundred parents and teachers gathered at tonight’s meeting against the consolidation and around a dozen spoke about the effect the closing will have on the community and how the board could stop it.

“If you walk in the door of Lake Superior Elementary, you will see a wall of every kid being apart of that school, every month it is changed and every month they feel they are a part of it. The theme changes, but every kid, every teacher, every member of that building is on there,” said Crystal Lawton, LSE Parent and Superior High School Teacher.

The down-sizing of Superior’s six elementary schools to five also comes when there is a projected $4 million budget shortfall in 2024.

In the past five years Superior has lost around 300 students in the elementary level, factoring into the consolidation.

School Board Member Laura Gapske encouraged people to keep speaking up against the budget cuts for the district.

“Write your letter tonight and say we don’t want this to happen, give us that surplus money to invest it into our public schools. Please take further action with the time you spent here today,” said Gapske.

The school board is now preparing to draw new school boundaries for after LSE closes at the end of the 2023-24 school year.